History on Tap: Pop! Nuclear Weapons, the Cold War, and Eighties Popular Culture

Derek Buckaloo, Coe College Professor of History, will take us through the decade of the eighties looking at how Pop Culture was influenced by the Cold War and its very real threat of nuclear war, which thankfully faded with the Cold War’s surprising ending. Join us before 5:30 p.m. and check out our exhibit Revolution 1989 to learn even more about this fascinating subject. Our cash bar will be open with specialty themed cocktails.

Derek Buckaloo was born and raised in Washington State, where he grew up in the Cold War Eighties, dancing to catchy songs about the world ending. He received his B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University. After several years working in Silicon Valley and Seattle, he began his graduate studies in United States History at Emory University in Atlanta, receiving his Master’s degree in 1997 and his Ph.D. in 2002. That same year, he joined the Department of History at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, where he has taught ever since. Dr. Buckaloo’s research interests center on the American War in Vietnam and its effects on American culture, society, and politics; his courses include many subjects in twentieth-century U.S. history, including the Vietnam War, the 1960’s, and the Cold War Era, as well as courses in Native American History, Latin American History, and Film Studies.